Global FocusA weekly programme looking at issues challenging our assumptions and way of life across all the continents. This as the world is going through deep and rapid changes.
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ENRFISat, 17 Feb 2018 17:16:05 +0100RFInoVolunteer doctors care for Myanmar's Rohingya refugeeshttp://en.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20180217-doctors-volunteering-care-rohingya-refugees
Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar are packed in crowded camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, where many urgently need medical attention. A group of surgeons has braved challenging conditions to help members of Myanmar’s Muslim minority in the Tangkali refugee camp.
Many of the ailments the refugees are suffering from are easily treatable if properly diagnosed and given the right treatment at the start. But harsh living conditions in the refugee camps and the lack of basic health facilities are worsening patients’ conditions.
A medical delegation of highly skilled specialists recently travelled to Tangkali camp, near the Myanmar border, to provide much-needed treatment to hundreds of refugees.
Physicians Across Continents (PAC), an international medical humanitarian organisation, partnered with Lonely Orphans, a UK-based NGO working with displaced Rohingyas, to bring 10 doctors, mostly surgeons, from Palestine, Sudan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to Tangkali camp, close to Balukhali camp.
The doctors saw around 500 patients in less than seven days and undertook 100 surgical procedures including 10 major ones in a hospital in the nearby town of Cox’s Bazaar.
They say that most of the cases that came to them were easily treatable, in normal conditions, but made worse because of the refugees’ lack of access to basic health care or even clean water in the camps.
Degrading conditions
It was Syed Ikhlaas‘s second humanitarian trip to the Rohingya refugee camps in Banglagesh. But the head of programmes and operations for Lonely Orphans is still taken aback by how “degrading and humiliating” the Rohingyas’ situation is now.
Back in Myanmar’s Rakhine state some of them enjoyed a fairly good life as teachers or doctors, he points out.
“There are children, even adults, defecating in public because they don’t have toilet facilities,” Ikhlaas reports. “We’ve noticed … very dirty water. They have to walk at least a mile, two miles to reach some water.
“These camps are extremely condensed. The location is very sandy. There is a lot of dust and sand in the air. The children are playing in this. There are a lot of cases of breathing difficulties. We had… asthmatic cases… pneumonia. A lot of women had issues with thyroids… so severe they needed operations.”
Dr Jamal Ghosheh, a Palestinian neurosurgeon who led the medical delegation, said that there were recurrent cases of patients who were not correctly diagnosed or given the right treatment.
He cited cases of hydrocephalus (water in the brain) which can be cured by diverting the excess fluid through a tube inserted in the brain down to the abdomen.
“As a neurosurgeon, I saw a number of patients with spine problems and peripheral nerve injuries because of gunshots to their legs and arms,” says Ghosheh.
A neurosurgeon with some 20 years’ experience, he is also one of the founders of Physicians Across Continents and is currently working in private hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza as well as in various countries in the region.
Five-year-old shot in leg
A clinic was set up in Tangkali camp for the doctors to treat the Rohingyas, from elderly to infants. The working conditions were quite challenging, as the most basic facilities are not available.
“The challenges were tremendous,” explains Ghosheh. “You need a simple blood test, there is no way you can get that in the camp; you need an X-ray there is no way you can get this. We did not have an ambulance. We did not have the basic equipment, staff and follow-up on these patients.”
Among the hundreds of patients, the case of five-year-old Minara stands out.
The little girl was “deliberately” shot in the knee by a Myanmar policeman while attempting to cross the border into Bangladesh with her family, they say. As was the case for many other Rohingyas, their house was burnt down and that is why they fled the onslaught of violence by the Myanmar army to seek refuge in Bangladesh, joining the 1.2 million who have arrived since August 2017 as well as others who have fled the country since 2012.
Even though the bullet was removed, the nerves in Minara’s knee were not adequately repaired, which caused her to limp. There was also a big scar on her leg as a result of the first operation.
Ghosheh recently operated on Minara and repaired the nerve damage that caused “weakness in her leg”. The operation was successful and the surgeon also managed to considerably reduce the scar.
But Ghosheh still regrets not being able to provide the proper medical care right at the start. One case in particular saddens him - that of little boy with a growing eye tuour.
“The tumour was left [unattended] for some time and [it] was coming out of his eye,” he recalls. “We were about to operate on him with a plastic surgeon, a consultant anaesthetic and myself as a neurosurgeon. But, unfortunately, during the preparation he died because… the facilities were not available when he was diagnosed.”
High-end care and training
Most of the doctors volunteering with Physicians Across Continents (PAC) are highly skilled specialists who endeavour to find time for humanitarian work despite a heavy workload.
“The senior surgeons are running clinics, they had to sacrifice that time for a humanitarian mission,” says Syed Ikhlaas. “When they shut their clinics, they are potentially losing out 3,000 dollars [2,400 euros] a day.”
One characteristic of PAC, set up in 2003, is to provide high-end care in crisis situation. It also provides lectures and training for medical staff in various parts of the world. PAC, as part of its modus operandi, left a working clinic in Tangkali camp which is currently being operated by general practitioners (GPs).
Dr Jamal Ghosheh, who grew up in Jerusalem, started volunteering as a neurosurgeon shortly after graduating, some 20 years ago.
“When you grow up in a territory like Palestine, a territory with a lot of political tension and oppression, [with] a lot of people who need help, you realise how important [it is] when other people offer you the help you really need,” he says. “Being a neurosurgeon, I always say ‘Why not spare some of my time to help those people in need wherever they are on this earth?’.
“Life is short. All I can say is that one day we will all leave this life, only our deeds will be carried with us in the life thereafter and that’s why we should make sure all these deeds are good ones.”
Follow Physicians Across Continents on Twitter @PhysiciansAC
Follow Lonely Orphans on Twitter @LonelyOrphans
Follow Zeenat Hansrod on Twitter @zxnt
Zeenat HansrodRohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar are packed in crowded camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, where many urgently need medical attention. 11:53353E8FC6-8289-4901-BA48-488AC7D93D07Sat, 17 Feb 2018 03:00:00 +0100noTaking a look at Sierra Leone presidential candidates and issueshttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20180210-taking-look-sierra-leone-presidential-candidates-and-issues
Sixteen presidential candidates are campaigning in Sierra Leone for the country's top position as President Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress Party steps down after two terms. Voters will go to the polls on March seventh to pick their next leader. RFI's Laura Angela Bagnetto speaks to Lans Gberie, a Sierra Leone political analyst with Martello Risk group, who outlines the top candidates and the issues voters want them to tackle.
Laura Angela BagnettoSixteen presidential candidates are campaigning in Sierra Leone for the country's top position as President Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress Party steps down after two terms. 10:27E3D327E3-6B36-4CE1-9768-A6FEDEE356EFSat, 10 Feb 2018 03:00:00 +0100noAfrican conservationists condemn savannah farming schemehttp://en.rfi.fr/20180120-African-conservationists-condemn-savannah-farming-scheme-mapping-water-continent
The African Development Bank has devised a plan to combat food insecurity in Africa - farm the savannah. According to the plan eight sub Saharan African countries will be trageted. In this week's Global Focus, RFI's Laura Angela Bagentto speaks to a Kenyan conservationist who disagrees. She also talk to an academic in Tunisia who has mapped water scarcity and availability across the African continent.
Laura Angela BagnettoThe African Development Bank has devised a plan to combat food insecurity in Africa - farm the savannah. According to the plan eight sub Saharan African countries will be trageted. 10:27C20A8F84-DC08-4000-A382-43FCE3AA489ASat, 20 Jan 2018 07:37:00 +0100noWhat is Net Neutrality and why does it matter?http://en.rfi.fr/americas/20171223-what-net-neutrality-and-why-does-it-matter
US regulators voted in Devcember to roll back “net neutrality" rules which required internet providers to treat all traffic equally, a move opponents say would curb online freedom. Net neutrality backers argue that clear rules are needed to prevent internet service providers from blocking or throttling services or websites for competitive reasons.
But what about the rest of the world?
Fabien Jannic-CherbonnelUS regulators voted in Devcember to roll back “net neutrality" rules which required internet providers to treat all traffic equally, a move opponents say would curb online freedom. 10:0AE7293B7-42E3-41F1-9012-A682760F62F1Sat, 23 Dec 2017 15:33:00 +0100noUN moves to take plastics out of marine environmentshttp://en.rfi.fr/environment/20171216-marine-plastic-pollution
This week's Global Focus takes a look into how our oceans are affected by plastic pollution, but also how this could change thanks to a new UN initiative.
Efforts to address global plastic pollution took a significant step forward this month as world governments agreed to establish a group of experts to look into the problem of plastic in our seas
One recent report says that if nothing is done, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish, in the seas.
At the third meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly, member states agreed on a series of steps to eliminate the dumping of plastic and microplastics into the oceans.
Among the solutions is reducing the amount of plastic we produce, increasing reuse and recycling and avoiding the unnecessary use of plastic.
Clea BroadhurstThis week's Global Focus takes a look into how our oceans are affected by plastic pollution, but also how this could change thanks to a new UN initiative.
10:0E8416B04-2CCD-4453-9C54-3ED72D0F894CSat, 16 Dec 2017 07:37:00 +0100noIsrael continues charm offensive across Africahttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20171209-israel-continues-charm-offensive-across-africa
In Global Focus this week, RFI's Laura Martel takes a closer look at the relationship between Israel and Africa.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahou announced last week the opening of an embassy in Rwanda and expressed a desire for Israel to become an official 'observer' member of the African Union.
These are the latest stages of a diplomatic offensive launched by Netanyahou in February 2016 to strengthen ties with Africa, embodied in a catchphrase :
"Israel is coming back to Africa, Africa is coming back to Israel".
Laura MartelIn Global Focus this week, RFI's Laura Martel takes a closer look at the relationship between Israel and Africa.
10:0926209FF-7B0B-4DA2-B450-3FB77F763B68Sat, 09 Dec 2017 07:37:00 +0100noMogadishu's iRise Hub offers an optimistic, innovative, hi-tech future for Somaliahttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20171202-mogadishu-ihub-offers-optimistic-innovative-hi-tech-future-somalia
There are aspects of Somalia that never make the headlines. A tech savvy Somalia. driven by a global diaspora returning home, bringing innovative projects with them. iRise Hub incubator in Mogadishu is one of them.
iRise Hub is a tech incubator for start-ups and a co-working space for young tech entrepreneurs.
A tech hub offers innovators, developers, investors, techies, and startups the working space to share ideas, connect and collaborate with each other
iRise Hub was launched in September this year in the Hodon district of Mogadishu and now houses some 20 young Somalis working on their respective projects.
Ayaan is a Somali who lived in the United States before she decided to move back to Somalia in 2014. She is particularly fond of the atmosphere at iRise’s co-working space :
“Once you are in that space you can really forget the chaos outside and the hustle and bustle of the city. It brings you to a different mindset where you are much more focused.”
Tech ecosystem
Members pay a monthly fee of 25 euros per month. For 85 euros per month, subscribers can use all the facilities the company provides, including a postal address, secretarial services and meeting rooms.
iRise is also opened to investors – both local and international – who may be interested startups incumated at the Hub.
“It is a space where people get extra skills, whether technical or business. We always make sure that before someone joins the space, they will add a value to our tech community,” explains 27-year-old Awil Osman. Osman is iRise Hub's CEO and cofounder along with Abdihakim Ainte.
iRise provides a stable internet connection and uninterrupted electricity, something that is taken for granted in many parts of the world but a rarity in Somalia where power cuts are frequent and where there is only one internet provider with one undersea fibre optic cable connecting the country to the net.
When the fibre optic cable was damaged in June this year, the country went without internet for nearly a month and resulted of losses of 8.4 million euros every day for the fragile national economy.
The monopoly partly explains the high price Somalis pay to access internet. iRise pays 2,100 euros per month for internet access.
“The Somali government just passed the telecommunication bill recently. They have not yet [clarified] the regulations over pricing for this product. Maybe other players will come into the market and stabilise the price,” Osman says.
Osman used to live in Kenya and, as a computer science student, he frequently used the services provided by iHub in Nairobi, an innovation hub and hacker space for the technology community that was started in March 2010 by Erik Hersman a blogger, TED fellow and entrepreneur.
Osman Osman left Kenya to go back to live and work in Somalia and that is when he realised what was missing in Mogadishu.
“Because I learnt the impact [iHub] had in my journey to become an entrepreneur, I realised when I came to Mogadishu that [it] also needs a place like iHub,” Osman says.
The American HBO comedy series Silicon Valley is another source of inspiration. Osman wants to create a place similar to the one set up by TJ Miller, the flamboyant character played by Erlich Bachman.
He wants to open a house where developers can sleep, eat and work and not have to worry about bills.
Until such a “one-stop shop” is established, iRise houses tech-innovators like Mohamed Anoy Ali and his partners. They have been working on a start-up for some time and said that their project has leapt forward since entering iRise.
“We have mentors, experts [here at iRise]. It took us a long time to research and trying to turn our idea into a start-up but [after working with the people] at iRise for two to three days, our idea became something tangible,” says Mohamed Anoy Ali.
A positive image of Somalia
Videos of iRise Hub shows a well-equipped, very modern facility. A stark contrast to the images of violence depicting Somalia.
"The problem is the media that shows the world terrorist attacks. The media doesn’t show the good things that are happening in Mogadishu. It is not only the international media, even the local media [does that]," Osman says.
Images of violence or political conflicts, according to Osman, get more traction than stories about businesses prospering or people having fun at the restaurant
Zeenat HansrodThere are aspects of Somalia that never make the headlines. A tech savvy Somalia. driven by a global diaspora returning home, bringing innovative projects with them. 10:50494D1C7C-C0B6-449A-B87D-BF1E72C263B2Sat, 02 Dec 2017 03:00:00 +0100noShould Britain apologise for the Balfour declaration?http://en.rfi.fr/middle-east/20171118-britain-caught-snare-balfour
Celebrated by supporters, contested by its detractors,100 years on the Balfour declaration continues to divide opinion. The 67-word letter written by Lord Arthur Balfour, Britain’s then foreign minister, paved the way for the creation of Israel. Palestinians say it also dispossessed them of their land.
A century after Britain first declared its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, its motives at the time continue to divide opinion.
The 67 words penned by Arthur Balfour paved the way for the creation of Israel and is celebrated by most Jews.
But Palestinians see it as a crime.
"Britain which was the custodian at the time with the French. They had no right to give something that did not belong to them to European Jews," says Soliman Ismail.
Thousands demonstrate in London
He was one of thousands of protesters who marched through the streets of London to Parliament on the Balfour Declaration's centenary, 2 November, to demand that Britain apologise.
"We need to correct that wrong that was done 100 years ago, that continues to happen," Ismail insists. "The Palestinians have suffered for 100 years and they continue to suffer. "
Protesters came from all over Britain, waving banners that read: “100 years of injustice”, “Free Palestine” or “Israel is a terrorist state”.
"This protest, it was basically about spreading awareness of what the British have done in the plight of the Palestinians," Abdeeq, a member of Stop the War coalition, told RFI.
"They still haven't apologised for it. Israel is a terrorist state, Israel is an apartheid state and history will remember the people who supported it."
Fate of Israel
But pro-Israel campaigners claim that the Palestinians' supporters want to abolish the Jewish state.
“The people who are asking for that apology are known to sing at their demonstrations and it was heard at this demonstration, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'," Arieh Miller, Executive Director of the Zionist Federation in the UK, said after the protest.
"Those who are chanting 'From the river to the sea' are talking about the river Jordan to the Mediterranean sea; they’re talking about wiping Israel off the map. I wouldn’t take anything from people who are looking to wipe a country off the map as serious or gospel or really anything to be taken as anything at all.”
Britain and the Zionists
Each side is marking the Balfour Declaration centenary in starkly different ways.
One piece of paper, two very different views.
So is Britain wto blame for today's division between Israelis and Palestinians?
“It might never have happened," Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East Policy Studies at City University of London, told RFI. "It was the result of some very targeted lobbying on the part of promoters of the Zionist movement."
Some argue that it was to help bring in support from the United States and keep Russia in World War I, in the hope that Jews in both places would encourage their countries to stay engaged in the war effort, which in the end never happened.
“There was an element of anti-Semitism in the reasoning of Balfour and others," says Hollis. "But it wasn’t so much to promote Zionism as to promote the British cause in Washington with what were perceived to be influential Jews.”
Many Jews, howver, praise the letter's "humanitarian aspect".
"Jews were living in the land of Palestine in the Holy Land and were under severe pressure by the Turks who were expelling them," says former Israeli diplomat Lenny ben David.
"Six thousand were expelled from Jaffa, another 9,000 were expelled from Tel Aviv-Jaffa area. And under such a situation, the idea that there was a support for a Jewish homeland came as almost a humanitarian affair.”
Britain's mandate
“I think it’s important to also clarify that the letter written by Lord Balfour was contradicted by other promises made by the British, not least to the Arabs and to the French," reckons Hollis, for her part.
"The British were promising things right left and centre, all of which was designed to improve Britain’s own fortunes in the war. The letter was issued even before Britain had actually captured Palestine. And the only thing that gave the letter legal substance was the league of nations."
It was in 1919 in virtue of the Versailles Treaty that Britain was entrusted with the temporary administration of Palestine, two years after the Balfour Declaration.
As well as promising to create a homeland for the Jewish people, the letter also pledged to guarantee the rights and freedoms of the Arab population already living there.
Ben David acknowledges that this aspect was never achieved.
"It did not solve the problem for Arab countries and the Arabs of Palestine because it was rejected by them," he says, mentioning the Peel Commission that was brought in by England "with the desire and intention of creating an Arab state and a Jewish state".
"In walks the Mufti of Palestine and rejects it. They could have had their state had they accepted the partition of Palestine in 1947, Arab states rejected it. They could have had their state all along the way. But there could be no Jewish sovereignty in the land, and unfortunately we still hear that today.”
Palestinian leaders
Ben David and other Israeli officials blame Palestine's absence of statehood not on the Balfour declaration but on the failure of its leaders.
But back at the demonstration in London, Soliman Ismail disagrees.
"Palestinians have never been given sovereignty. A country cannot have sovereignty if their land, air and sea borders are controlled by another state. Secondly, Israel is in violation of over 70 UN resolutions and nothing’s been done about that!"
In the crowds, protesters chanted "Shame on her!" addressing their anger at British Prime minister Theresa May, who had welcomed her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to London to mark the Balfour declaration's 100-year anniversary, saying she was proud of its achievement.
"Does she not have any shame?" Rajab Shamlakh, Director of the Palestinian Community in the UK, bellowed into a microphone in front of the audience gathered outside the British parliament.
"This government should feel shame not pride. This government should feel shame that the Palestinian people have been subjected decade after decade to occupation and oppression."
For Palestinian politician, Mustafa Barghouti, the demonstration proved the British public did not share the views of their government.
"This is a great moment of solidarity with the Palestinian people," he told RFI. "And it’s really a response to Theresa May, it’s a response coming from the voices of the British people that they demand an apology to Palestinians and they are supporting the rights of the Palestinians to be free."
In a video message screened at the rally in Parliament Square, Britain's Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time supporter of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, pledged his support for recognition of the state of Palestine.
“We must increase international pressure for an end to the 50-year occupation of Palestinian territories," he told the crowds. "There can only be a lasting peace for the Middle East on the basis of a negotiated settlement that delivers justice and security for both peoples and states."
Balfour's legacy
As the centenary winds to a close, what remains of Balfour's legacy?
Hollis says the British failed to live up to their mandate: "They were supposed to set up a representative assembly inclusive of the whole population there." That never happened.
"It was never their intention to create a Jewish state and they were going to bar more than a few Jews from migrating to Palestine. That’s the irony about the whole idea that it’s thanks to Balfour that Israel exists. It was a massive piece of subterfuge and cock-up by the British, it was not what they intended, they just messed up. Royally!"
The Zionist Federation's Millier acknowledges that it's been a rocky road, but commends its achievement: "The Balfour Declaration was the first paving stone along that road," he said. "And, although it wasn’t the only thing that led to the creation of Israel, it was an important statement at the time.”
It saw the world’s biggest superpower stating its support for a Jewish homeland, the right of the self-determination of the Jewish people, and it was an important step and a bold step for a country to have taken, he said.
Barghouti slams Israeli "apartheid" and sees a battle ahead for the Palestinians in their hope of achieving their own state.
"But like the South African apartheid system could not survive, the Israeli apartheid system will not stay," he declared.
One hundred years have passed since Balfour penned his declaration, driven by imperialist motives to secure a foothold in the Middle East. The document still resonates today, in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Christina OkelloCelebrated by supporters, contested by its detractors,100 years on the Balfour declaration continues to divide opinion. 10:040FDBC14-F746-4B3D-B9E1-D976655547C5Sat, 18 Nov 2017 07:37:00 +0100noWhat's on the menu at this year's United Nations Climate Summit talkshttp://en.rfi.fr/environment/20171111-What's on the menu at this year's United Nations Climate Summit talks
In Germany, delegates at the United Nations Climate Summit are halfway through this year’s meeting. Fabien Jannic Cherbonnel has more now on this week’s Global Focus.
Fabien Jannic-CherbonnelIn Germany, delegates at the United Nations Climate Summit are halfway through this year’s meeting. Fabien Jannic Cherbonnel has more now on this week’s Global Focus.
10:02C7A03A7-0144-4571-B215-379EB84885C6Sat, 11 Nov 2017 07:37:00 +0100noWhy things are getting tougher for Monrovia's fishermenhttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20171104-why-things-are-getting-tougher-monrovias-fishermen
In today's Global Focus, RFI's Laura Angela Bagnetto goes to the Atlantic shores of Liberia's capital Monrovia to talk to fishermen who say they are going to suffer because a presidential decree has reduced their fishing zone by half.
Laura Angela BagnettoIn today's Global Focus, RFI's Laura Angela Bagnetto goes to the Atlantic shores of Liberia's capital Monrovia to talk to fishermen who say they are going to suffer because a presidential ... 10:9AF104246-1E56-4006-90F2-9A3DF9F6A112Sat, 04 Nov 2017 03:00:00 +0100noYoung people offer tech solutions to Africa’s problemshttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20171014-coming-soon
Two young tech innovators from Somalia and South Africa are working together to develop study guides for Somali youth. They belong to this dynamic generation of young African entrepreneurs who are bringing 21st century solutions to the table.
From education, health to security, Africa’s youth are taking matters in their own hands with their innovative tech platforms.
Africa has the youngest population in the world, according to the United Nations, with well over 226 million young people between 15 and 24, accounting for 19 per cent of the global youth population.
A figure on the rise predicts the UN; by 2030, it is projected that the number of youth in Africa will have increased by 42 per cent.
Abdi Addow and Shivad Singh belong to this generation of tech innovators who are bringing, under their own steam, concrete solutions to problems their people have to grapple with.
Abdi Addow is a 25-year-old refugee in Sweden where he is currently studying development and international cooperation.
Along with his friends, they set up the website, Abaaraha, as a response to the drought crippling Somalia. Abaaraha is a live crisis online mapping platform putting people in need with relief responders. Shivad Singh (22) is an entrepreneur in education and media who lives in South Africa.
When he was 19, he founded Presto Academy with his friend Fuaad Coovadia to provide study guides to secondary school students.
Working together on education
Together they are working on building up study guides for Somali youth.
More than half of Somalia’s 10+ million population is under 25, according to UNESCO.
Only 37% of the population can read and write. The lack of a stable government and constant security threats posed by the Al Shabab islamist militant group makes it near impossible to provide education to children.
“We need to educate our young people. This [lack of education] is what is causing conflict in Africa, especially Somalia. If you don’t give the young people the opportunity to read and write, it will be a disaster for the future,” says Abdi Addow.
“And I am planning to do what he [Shivad] is doing in Somalia.”
Addow and Singh met in Colombia’s capital, Bogata, at the One Young World Summit where they were roommates.
The two young men were chosen to address the summit along with 20 other delegate speakers. Shivad Singh received the Leading South Africa award which allowed him to attend the One Young World Summit through a fully paid scholarship.
Abdi Addow was sponsored by the Love Army to attend the summit. Information about such schemes are available on the One Young World newsletter and website.
Shivad Singh says he is very excited on working to apply his Presto study guides to Somalia.
He believes that the challenges are similar to the ones South Africa faces because even though almost all of his country’s 56 million population can read and write, a large number of youth do not finish formal education. Largely due to lack of resources and teachers.
“Our model is to get students to teach other students. We noticed that a lot of our friends struggled to make the jump from high school to university. Due to poor schooling,” Singh explains.
“We created Presto Academy to make learning simpler, easier and more memorable by getting students to write the content so that it is more understandable and relatable to others. We provide a world class education for a minimum cost.”
Presto study guides are aimed at what in South Africa is known as Matric students who are completing the last year of secondary school.
They are put together by South Africa’s top Matric students and reviewed by teachers before being up for sale.
The guides are for Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Accounting and cost roughly 10 euros each. They are available online, as books and soon on videos.
A digital solution to Somalia’s drought
Further north to South Africa, Somalia faced one of its most severe drought this year affecting some 6 million people.
Abdi Addow and his friends realised that even though there was a lot of good will from the diaspora and the international community, the aid was not reaching its targets because of insufficient coordination.
So, in March this year and in just 7 days, Addow and his friends – all volunteers – set up the Abaaraha website.
A live crisis mapping platform which visually indicates where and what type of aid is needed.
“Abaaraha means drought in Somali. We created this to give voice to the voiceless. People can report what they need: water, food, medicine… so, people who want to help them can see their contact information”, says Abdi Addow.
People affected by the drought may reach a call center in Somalia. They can also send text messages, email, use Twitter or Facebook to communicate about their needs or areas affected. All information gathered is verified before put online.
Abaraaha caught the attention of the Yale University in USA and students from its Geographical Information System department are planning to further develop the website.
Connecting young people across the world
According to participants like Abdi Addow and Shivad Singh, One Young World lives up to its promise of connecting people and showcasing the brightest, most innovative young people across the world.
This year in Colombia, 1, 300 young people representing 195 countries attended the summit.
“I get energized by talking to all those amazing people. We really connect like friends and everyone is very like-minded. And when we discuss things we don’t talk about people, we discuss ideas,” says Shivad Singh.
“It’s an amazing synergy. Everyone experience the same problems but just on different scales. But because people are from all different parts of the world, we all come with different ideas and solutions.”
The opportunities of this type of networking happen to be real. Shivad Singh got around 20 to 30 people who want to partner with him.
Abdi Addow is working on a partnership with a Dr. Charles Akhimien, head of Mobicure in Nigeria, who has designed an App for pregnant women called Omomi.
They are working on how to apply it to Somalia. Child mortality in Somalia is among the highest in the world.
One Young World also enabled participants to meet a number of influential people. This year, among a number of VIPs, there were Koffi Annan – former United Nations secretary general – and Nobel Prize laureate, Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen bank.
Abdi Addow met the Vice-President of Facebook where they discussed how to activate the Facebook Safety Check for Somalia.
It is the 21st century, most of the ideas, projects, businesses, and enterprises put forward by the young people need the internet to exist. The downside is the prohibitive cost of access to internet in Africa.
This is where the digital divide lies. Africa’s youth has the capacity to shake things up and shows an incredible energy to shape tomorrow’s world. Now their governments need to break up monopolies and bring affordable internet connections.
Follow Abdi Addow on Twitter @AbdiAddow1
Follow Shivad Singh on Twitter @shivadsingh
Follow Zeenat Hansrod on Twitter @zxnt
Zeenat HansrodTwo young tech innovators from Somalia and South Africa are working together to develop study guides for Somali youth. 12:306DA5D6CA-7C00-4337-BD3E-ADCCAD27F9FESat, 14 Oct 2017 04:00:00 +0200noCould postal survey help the cause of same-sex marriage in Australia?http://en.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20171007-postal-survey-help-cause-same-sex-marriage-australia
In this week's Global Focus, RFI's Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel takes a look at a postal survey taking place in Australia that could pave the way for gay marriage.
Fabien Jannic-CherbonnelIn this week's Global Focus, RFI's Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel takes a look at a postal survey taking place in Australia that could pave the way for gay marriage.
10:0807AAF86-C407-4880-9CE7-7228FEAB0C97Sat, 07 Oct 2017 08:37:00 +0200noUN Peacekeepers under fire over sex abuse claimshttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170916-un-peacekeepers-under-fire-over-sex-abuse-claims
The United Nations said on Thursday it was looking into allegations that complaints of sexual abuse and exploitation made against its peacekeepers in the conflict-torn Central African Republic were mishandled or unreported. This is not the first time such allegations and complaints put the UN peacekeeping missions under fire.
Allegations of sexual abuse by troops in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic have led to increasing scrutiny.
Although UN peacekeepers are sent to help with the peace transition process, some are accused of crimes against the very population they are expected to protect.
Such crimes have been allowed to continue with impunity, because the UN has no jurisdiction over any of the countries the troops might be coming from. That is why only a fraction of the alleged perpetrators have served jail time.
But why is this happening in the first place?
Clea BroadhurstThe United Nations said on Thursday it was looking into allegations that complaints of sexual abuse and exploitation made against its peacekeepers in the conflict-torn Central African Republic were ... 11:313BB2F52A-903B-49F8-8E24-C934817C23ECSat, 16 Sep 2017 08:37:00 +0200noComing out as an atheist in multi-faith Indiahttp://en.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20170909-coming-one
In a country like India, a mosaic of religions and cultures, passions are easily ignited when it comes to religious belief. Violence can even be an option. Is there a place for atheists in such a society? For people who do not subscribe to a particular dogma? Mumbai resident Rohan Joshi talks about being an atheist in India.
He was 16 years old and riding a bus in Bombay when the evidence became irrefutable to Rohan Joshi: "God does not exist."
It hadn’t dawned on him suddenly, like a door slamming in his face, but had been a slow realisation, the result of years of questioning.
“My parents always encouraged me to ask questions and read things and be scientifically minded," he said. "As a result, I came to a position of atheism naturally. The existence of God on a scientific basis just seemed impossible to me.”
Rohan Joshi is 34 years old now. He still lives in Bombay where he works as a stand-up comedian. If Twitter may serve as a measuring rod for success, he has gathered four million followers. He is one of the four members of All India Bakchod (AIB), a group that draws on humour – mostly irreverent – to address all aspects of life in India. AIB has become a social phenomenon that has fully and successfully exploited digital platforms such as You Tube, Twitter, Instagram, and so on, to get their message across.
Growing up in multi-faceted India
Joshi grew up in a country with a population of 1.2 billion where over 1,700 languages are spoken, home to many of the world’s religions - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism to name but a few. So he didn’t grow up in a vacuum but in a place where, very early on, he became aware of how different faiths are worshipped.
He also grew up in a Hindu household where pujas (Hindu religious rituals) are performed every day. He jokes about how his Dad’s morning pujas and bell ringing served as his own personal alarm clock.
“While my parents are both quite religious, none of these rituals were ever forced upon me,” he says.
It took Rohan some 10 years to “come out” as an atheist. By then he was around 25 years old.
“When I told my parents, they were like 'That’s fine, we respect that.' I was very fortunate because there are a lot of families who would not be comfortable with that," he recalls. But he still participates in religious rituals to make his mother happy or when his presence as a son is needed for some specific acts of devotion and that is only at home with his family.
Intolerance towards free-thinkers
Few in India enjoy that degree of freedom and acceptance.
In March this year a father who defined himself as an atheist and a rationalist was killed in Coimbatore in southern India because he openly questioned the existence of God.
Under the Indian penal code, insulting religion or religious beliefs is punishable by jail sentence or a fine or both. Critics argue that the law is too broad and can lead to abuse.
“Hurting the sentiment… is punishable by law," explains Joshi. "The standard [used by the court] for defaming a religion is not the first person who gets offended when you criticise a religion, it is how offensive it is."
The comedian says that he is just one among a growing community of free-thinkers who question religious practices in India. And they are not all rationalists, agnostics or atheists.
“There were spirited conversations around the triple talaak [divorce under Muslim law which the Indian Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional on 22 August] even among people within Islam. And last year there was a very spirited protest about how certain [Hindu] temples do not allow women in. A Hindu women’s group stood up and said why, are we less in the eyes of God?”
Religion as a political tool
Progress towards the kind of attitudes he would like to see is slow, admits Joshi, but it is happening, even though he feels at times it can be terribly frustrating.
“That’s because in India, religion and politics are closely intertwined. We have an uncomfortable history… of splitting voters along religious lines. And you can trace it back all the way to the Shah Bano judgement in the 80s.”
In 1985 the Supreme Court of India ruled in a favour of a divorced Muslim woman, granting her alimony from her husband. The judgement created a major controversy with vigorous opposition from the more conservative Muslims. Under intense political pressure, the Congress government, led by Rajiv Gandhi, voted to overturn the judgement.
“That was a huge setback,” comments Joshi. “And our country has been dealing with the fallout from that.”
Similarly, the comedian admits he is extremely uncomfortable with the Hindutva philosophy favoured by the ruling BJP party. For him, it is a militant ideology that is being identified with Hinduism when the two are quite distinct from each other. He also deplores that Hindutva is being used a political tool to divide the country.
“Our politics have been entirely coopted by religious identity politics. This [Hindutva] is the logical conclusions of ... what started 30 years ago. This is the reckoning that it has led us to. It sucks because this sort of squabbling stops us from unlocking our true potential”
Fame, money, caste are some of the factors that enable Rohan Joshi to be very vocal about his choice. He is aware of that and candidly says, “I have so many layers of privileges that protect me. I am a Hindu, born a Brahmin, the most revered caste”, as well as being a male living in a city.
Not believing in a God or gods doesn’t make Joshi a man devoid of spirituality. He says he is nourished by what he sees as the miracle of life, that is, a bunch of random scientific variables that combined in a specific way had a one in a trillion chance of creating life and it happened.
“I am very spiritually nourished by this idea of infinite possibility as opposed to a preprogrammed route that was set down by God,” he comments.
“I am very spiritually nourished by this idea that the universe is a place of chaos where somehow some form of order and stability finds itself and that life pushes itself through the chaos. And that life is an expression of that chaos.”
Follow Rohan Joshi on Twitter: @mojorojo
Follow Zeenat Hansrod on Twitter: @zxnt
Zeenat HansrodIn a country like India, a mosaic of religions and cultures, passions are easily ignited when it comes to religious belief. Violence can even be an option. 13:50026E363B-4396-470E-A16E-74065B517988Sat, 09 Sep 2017 02:00:00 +0200noTackling violence against women in South Africa http://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170715-south-africa-violence-against-women
In a small town in South Africa outside Johannesburg, it's estimated that violence against women is twice as bad as in the rest of the country. And that's where a group of lawyers decided to go and work to try to do something about the situation. RFI's Laura Angela Bagnetto has more.
Laura Angela BagnettoIn a small town in South Africa outside Johannesburg, it's estimated that violence against women is twice as bad as in the rest of the country. 10:008B93978-D190-415E-A9BA-EB528E94A20ASat, 15 Jul 2017 08:37:00 +0200noSouth Africa trial to decide fate of Western Sahara phosphate shipmenthttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170617-south-africa-trial-decide-fate-western-sahara-phosphate-shipment
A court in South Africa this week announced that there would have to be a trial to decide who actually owns a shipment of phosphate from Western Sahara that's been stopped and held in a South African port. Western Sahara's Polisario Front movement stopped the ship last month (May) with a legal complaint, saying the phosphate had been taken from land that Morocco occupies illegally.
Laura Angela BagnettoA court in South Africa this week announced that there would have to be a trial to decide who actually owns a shipment of phosphate from Western Sahara that's been stopped and held in a South African ... 9:52A060076C-4866-4C58-8371-121297BB6294Sat, 17 Jun 2017 04:00:00 +0200noNew book about Libya's bombing of UTA 772 - The Forgotten Flighthttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170610-global-focus-uta-772-forgotten-flight
A new book recently published details the painstaking investigation into what has been described as the “greatest murder case in French history”. The Forgotten Flight: Terrorism, Diplomacy and the Pursuit of Justice tells the story of the bombing of UTA 772 in which 170 people lost their lives. Author Stu Newberger, who led a case on behalf of the American families of the victims, recounts the investigation into the tragic events of 19 September 1989 when a grey suitcase exploded in the hold of the DC-10 aircraft. A French inquiry led to six Libyans being given life sentences by a Paris court after being found guilty in absentia. Forensic examination of the damaged wreck revealed a small piece of circuit board that was traced back to Libya. Newberger’s book reveals the detective work that led to the conviction, the impact on the families of the victims and the effect on French foreign policy. UTA 772 was given the nickname, ‘the forgotten flight’, owing to the media attention which focused on the Lockerbie bombing. Newberger’s account of the UTA 772 story hopes to bring details of the tragedy to a wider audience.
“I was approached by Doug Matthews, the owner of the plane, whose company Interlease had leased the aircraft to UTA. He wanted me to represent his company for the loss of the aircraft and then he also brought in the seven American families of the seven American citizens who were also killed on the flight. So I represented the owner of the plane and the seven American families who lost their loved ones to this act of terrorism. That’s how I got involved in this particular case.”
Daniel FinnanA new book recently published details the painstaking investigation into what has been described as the “greatest murder case in French history”. 9:18B97AF755-545A-4771-8AF9-169C021F1025Sat, 10 Jun 2017 04:00:00 +0200noFrom fighting AIDS to demanding rights: LGBT activism in Senegalhttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170603-aids-activism-rights-lgbt-activism-senegal
Senegal is one of Africa’s success stories when it comes to fighting HIV and AIDS: less than one per cent of the population is infected today. As part of the public health effort, officials recognized the need to reach out to those most at risk of passing on the virus: sex workers, drug users and gay men.
They encouraged them to get organised. As a result, today there are nearly a dozen LGBT groups in a country that is predominantly Muslim, and where homosexual acts are illegal. And gay men and women are increasingly thinking about rights, beyond public health.
(Click on the photo to listen to the report)
Reporting for this piece was supported by a grant from the International Reporting Project.
Sarah ElzasSenegal is one of Africa’s success stories when it comes to fighting HIV and AIDS: less than one per cent of the population is infected today. 10:02F33760A-8036-439D-AA17-A551EE390BEESat, 03 Jun 2017 08:37:00 +0200noWest Africa fishing communities working hard for little returnhttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170520-west-africa-local-fishing-communities-working-hard-little-return-liberian-fishing-bi
Fishing is a vital part of life in west Africa, from Senegal to Cote d'Ivoire, but overfishing and bad management threatens fishing livelihoods.
In Liberia, a new, shorter Inshore Exclusion Zone hurt the 33,000 Liberians who rely on fish, says the Environmental Justice Foundation.
We also speak to leading fish researcher Dr. Dyhia Belhabib of the Sea Around Us Project at the University of British Columbia to find out how she has developed a way to measure the catch of artisanal fisherpeople, or those who fish for local markets.
Laura Angela BagnettoFishing is a vital part of life in west Africa, from Senegal to Cote d'Ivoire, but overfishing and bad management threatens fishing livelihoods.
10:10867AE774-CA1F-4E51-98CC-8EEEAC7FB7C1Sat, 20 May 2017 04:00:00 +0200noA new film festival on African agriculture as key to ethical consumer decisionshttp://en.rfi.fr/africa/20170513-new-film-festival-african-agriculture-key-ethical-consumer-decisions
As part of its inaugural film festival, Human Resources Without Borders (RHSF), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to tackling the issues of forced labour and child labour, showed two powerful movies that tell the story of West African agriculture. "Live with Dignity on your Land" by Famara Karfa Diallo, shows how Senegalese farmers rejected pesticides from multinationals in order to grow bio produce. Filmmakers Benjamin Polle and Julien Le Net spoke to grassroots activists throughout West Africa in their movie, "Now Our Lands" to show how people power can prevent land grabbing. Global Focus speaks to RHSF and Polle as well as other special guests at the Paris screening.
Laura Angela BagnettoAs part of its inaugural film festival, Human Resources Without Borders (RHSF), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to tackling the issues of forced labour and child labour, showed two powerful ... 10:0E2199885-5085-4216-B8F1-2E0BA2F1B4D8Sat, 13 May 2017 08:37:00 +0200no